About This Time The Principal Priest Of The Nestorians, Who Was A
Kind Of Archdeacon Over The Rest, Became Sick
$ And when I endeavoured, at
the request of his family, to prevail upon the monk to visit him, he said,
"Let him alone for he and three others intend to procure an order from
Mangu-khan to expel you and I." And I learnt afterwards, that there was a
dispute between them, as Mangu-khan had sent four jascots on Easter eve to
the monk, to distribute among the priests; and Sergius, keeping one to
himself, had given three to the priests, one being a counterfeit, and the
priests thought Sergius had kept too great a share to himself. Finding the
archdeacon in a dying way, I administered to him the Eucharist and extreme
unction, which he received with great humility and devotion; but, by the
advice of the monk, I quitted him before he died, as otherwise I could not
have entered the court of Mangu-khan for a whole year. When he was dead,
the monk said to me, "Never mind it: This man only, among the Nestorians,
had any learning, and opposed us; henceforwards Mangu-khan and all the
rest will crouch at our feet." He even pretended that he had killed him by
his prayers. I afterwards learnt that the monk practised divination, with
the aid of a Russian deacon, though, when I challenged him, he pretended to
excuse himself, and to deny the truth of what had been reported to me: But
I could not leave him, having been placed there by command of the khan, so
that I dared not to remove without his special command.
Exclusive of the palace of the khan, Caracarum is not so good as the town
of St Denis, and the monastery of St Dennis is worth more than ten times
the value of the palace itself. It contains two principal streets: that of
the Saracens in which the fairs are held, and to which many merchants
resort, as the court is always near; the other is the street of the
Kathayans, which is full of artificers. Besides these streets, there are
many palaces, in which are the courts of the secretaries of the khan. There
are twelve idol temples belonging to different nations, two Mahometan
mosques, and one Nestorian church at the end of the town. The town itself
is inclosed with a mud wall, and has four gates. On the east side, there is
a market for millet and other grain, but which is ill supplied; on the
west, sheep and goats are sold; on the north side, oxen and waggons; and on
the south side, horses.
Mangu-khan has eight brothers, three by the mother and five by the father.
One of these on the mothers side he sent into the country of the
Assassines, called Mulibet by the Tartars, with orders to kill them all.
Another was sent into Persia, who is supposed to have orders to send armies
into Turkey, and from thence against Bagdat and Vestacius.
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